Low-cost prefabricated pod homes the size of two regular parking bays that can be built on stilts above car parks are the latest response to London’s housing shortage, unveiled today by a top UK architect.

The master planner of major city projects including Chelsea Waterfront, completing on the north bank from next summer, stresses the importance of good design and planning as London continues to regenerate.

One of Architecture Week’s annual highlights is the Architect in the House scheme, in which hundreds of architects sign up to offer an informal hour-long consultation in exchange for a donation to the homeless charity Shelter. During the past decade, almost £700,000 has been raised